Bond

By Nina Moore

I support a school bond. FUSD schools have health problems, leaky roofs, plumbing problems, handicap accessibility issues, and they are in need of seismic retrofitting. We desperately need a health and safety bond to ensure that our students and teachers are in a healthy and safe environment, conducive to learning.

"Why should we support a bond when the District doesn't spend wisely?  They should have enough money.  My taxes are high enough."

Fremont taxpayers have approved less bond monies for schools than our neighboring communities in recent years.  We spend $32 for each $100,000 of assessed property valuation per year on schools as opposed to $125 per $100K in Newark and $146 per $100K in New Haven. Contrary to what many believe, most of the '91 bond projects are complete or in-process - their status can be viewed on the district website (http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us/sectionnews.html) - and they were scheduled to take 10 years to complete.

Also contrary to what many people believe, we spend less of our budget than our neighbors in Alameda County on central administration (4%), and we spend roughly the same percentage on total compensation - roughly 90% of the District's expenditures on regular education.  This is necessary to remain competitive.  We have very little discretionary funding, given all these expenses.   Because of the way property taxes are managed in California, we do not get back all the property taxes we feed to the State.  We do not have enough money for matching facilities funds from the state.    We do not have enough money for adequate maintenance.  

We need a school bond to help Fremont remain the vital healthy community it has become.  Great schools are needed to attract businesses and their employees to our city - and to keep them here.   Our students and teachers deserve no less.

"What else would you do to better manage and increase funding?"  

We need a top to bottom budget review.  Since bond monies can only be used for capital expenses, we must ensure that our absolute necessities for operating expenses and programs are being funded first within our existing operational budget.  One example is that we cannot continue to defer maintenance costs, thereby increasing them over time.   

We must continue to lobby hard with our representatives and the Governor to change the state funding formula for monies received per student.  I have previously proposed and will continue to push for FUSD to hire a financial lobbyist - a funding expert whose job it is to research and lobby for funding available from federal, state, corporate and foundation sources.   I guarantee that this position will pay for itself.